Stormzy has scooped a Sandford St Martin Trustees’ Award for impacting the “public understanding of religion”.
The win celebrates those who “have made an outstanding contribution towards understanding how religion impacts on the personal, political and social sides of our lives”, according to the Bishop of Ripon, The Right Reverend Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, which is why she believes the grime MC is best-suited for the award.
In a statement by the award organisers, they recognised Stormzy as a deserving receiver of the title, as they said, “it’s not because he believes in God, but because of how this faith has informed his efforts to foster a public conversation and to build a sense of community that has united thousands of fans across cultural, class and generational and religious boundaries.”
The 26-year-old artist, who has received numerous awards over the years from an array of ceremonies including the BRITs, BET Awards, BBC Music and GQ Men of the Year, paid homage to his faith in his acceptance speech.
Stormzy said, “Every award I’ve ever collected, whatever achievement I’ve ever had, I’ve always been vocal about the fact that it’s not possible without God. He’s the reason why I’m here today. He’s the reason that I’m able to have a career. But a lot of the time I get non-believers saying ‘don’t thank God, this wasn’t God. This was all you’, and I know this wasn’t all me. This was God.”
Stormzy will be presented with the award on the 11th of June at a digital ceremony.
The news of Stormzy winning this award follows the announcement that the artist made The Sunday Times’ list of the UK’s Richest Musicians under 30.